SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. After battling on the road last week, the University of San Francisco women's volleyball team (7-4, 0-6) is back home at War Memorial at the Sobrato Center this weekend for two more conference matches. 
 
On Thursday night, the Dons will host Gonzaga (4-7, 0-6) for their ninth annual Dig Pink game as USF will partner with the Sideout Foundation in honor of breast cancer awareness month. Two days later, the Dons will be back in action against Portland (7-4, 2-4) on Saturday afternoon.      
 
MATCH 18 INFORMATION:
Date: Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Gonzaga Bulldogs (4-7, 0-6)
Location: San Francisco, Calif. / War Memorial at the Sobrato Center 
Watch: WCC Network
Live Statistics: Statbroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
MATCH 19 INFORMATION:
Date: Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022
Time: 1:00 p.m. PT
Opponent: Portland Pilots (7-4, 2-4) 
Location: San Francisco, Calif. / War Memorial at the Sobrato Center 
Watch: WCC Network
Live Statistics: Statbroadcast
Tickets: Purchase Here
 
 
DONS AT A GLANCE:

• Last week, the Dons faced two ranked opponents USD and BYU, ultimately falling short in both matches. Notably, sophomore Aylen Ayub saw success in the offense as she was able to record 13 assists against USD and 23 against BYU to add  to her team-high of 288 assists on the season.   
• A stronghold for the Dons on defense, freshman libero Abby Wadas is currently ranked third in the conference in digs with 226 as she averages 3.46 digs per set. In her first season on the Hilltop, Wadas has played every set in all but one game this season. 
• On the offensive side, graduate student Claire Crijns continues to dominate for the Dons as she has recorded the most kills on the team this season with 178. 

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:

• In their last match against Portland, senior Zoe Thiros led the offense as she recorded a new career-high with 22 kills as well as two serving aces against the Pilots. Overall, Thiros currently leads the team in kills this season with 185.  
• Defensively, senior Alisa Kim has been a force for Gonzaga, recording 214 digs on the season and averaging 3.51 digs per set. 
• Dangerous on both sides of the ball, graduate student Kennedy Croft has been a huge piece for the Bulldogs in 2022 as she has recorded 162 kills, second best on the team, to go along 135 digs and 34.0 blocks. 

SCOUTING THE PILOTS: 

• In their last matchup against Gonzaga, the Pilots earned a 3-1 victory as junior outside hitter Jayde Harris was named the WCC's Women's Offensive Volleyball Player of the Week for the second time this season. Last week, Harris tallied 25 kills in the match against Gonzaga for a season and career-best. Overall, Harris leads the team in kills with 260, good for third most in the conference heading into the weekend.
• Senior Noelani Helm has been consistent for the Pilots forward on offense as she recorded a season-high 40 assists in the team's win against the Bulldogs last week, adding to her total of 383 assists on the season. 
• As a team, the Pilots have recorded 822 digs, placing them third in the conference in digs. Against Gonzaga, the Pilots had three players log double digits in digs, including freshman Maui Robins, who finished just two digs short of her season-best with 17.

TRACK THE ACTION:
Both of this weekend's matches will be broadcasted live through the WCC Network and are available via the team's schedule page. Live statistics will also be available through StatBroadcast and can be found through the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For more information and updates on the University of San Francisco volleyball program, be sure to follow the Dons on Twitter @USFDonsVB, @USFDonsVB on Instagram and @USFDonsVball on Facebook.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.